Plans to treble tree planting rates over the course of this Parliament will be set out by the Environment Secretary George Eustice this week.
Eustice set out how new measures to increase tree planting will form a central pillar in the efforts to reach net zero emissions by 2050.
Under the new target, approximately 7,000ha of woodlands will be planted per year by the end of this Parliament (May 2024), alongside new initiatives to improve the health of trees, create more woodlands in cities, and deliver thousands of green jobs.
The increase in woodland creation rates will be backed up by new funding for tree nurseries to improve domestic tree production and maintain high levels of biosecurity.
This ensures the trees planted now are healthy and resilient to the impacts of changing climate and increasing threats from pests and diseases.
Launching the plan, the Environment Secretary George Eustice said:
We are putting plans in place to treble woodland creation rates by the end of this Parliament, reflecting England’s contribution to meeting the UK’s overall target of planting 30,000ha per year by the end of this Parliament.
“We will make sure that the right trees are planted in the right places and that more green jobs are created in the forestry sector.
“The events of the last twelve months have led people to appreciate the difference that nature makes to our lives more than ever before.
“There is an increased awareness of the link between our own health, and economic prosperity, and that of the planet– as highlighted by the recent Dasgupta Review of the economics of biodiversity,” he concluded.
